Let's Be Friends / Seamos Amigos - (My Friend, Mi Amigo) by René Colato Laínez (Board Book)

About the Book

Two boys, an English speaker and a Spanish speaker, paint together and learn about colors at school.

Book Synopsis

Hi! ¡Hola! A friendship board book in English and Spanish!

Hi. / Hola.
My name is Joe. / Mi nombre es José.
Let's paint. / Pintemos.

Two boys, an English speaker and a Spanish speaker, meet at school. They paint together and learn about colors. In the end, they declare, "Let's be friends. / Seamos amigos."

The fun friendship story with bright, bold art introduces toddlers to colors with simple words in both English and Spanish. A celebration of friendship for bilingual and monolingual families alike.

Review Quotes

★ "This bilingual beginning reader by Laínez . . . contains a perfect blend of Spanish and English. . . . Laínez's bilingual teaching background shows through in this well-constructed story, and the simple text works for those learning either language. . . . A fantastic addition to any early childhood classroom."--Booklist, Starred Review

"Colorful artwork and detailed pictures keep readers engaged. . . . a simple story with delightful characters for beginning readers or those learning a new language."--School Library Journal

"A joyful story gently highlighting the power of art to connect communities and individuals."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

René Colato Laínez is the author of several bilingual picture books, including Senor Pancho Had a Rancho, Vamonos! Let's Go!, and Playing Lotería, which was nominated for the Tejas Star Book Award - the K-6 bilingual counterpart to the Texas Bluebonnet Award. He lives in California, where he teaches a bilingual kindergarten class. Through his work as both an author and an educator, he hopes to help all children develop positive self-images.

Nomar Perez grew up in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where "an amazing array of colors, sounds, and flavors" influenced his artistic life. He is the illustrator of two 2017 Amazon Best Sellers: All Day Long, God Loves Me and Everywhere I Go, God is With Me. He is also a staff artist at American Greetings. Nomar currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio.